Google buys 15,000 Raspberry Pis for UK schoolkids

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Today Google’s Eric Schmidt has been visiting Cambridge in the UK and apparently spent the morning teaching a classroom full of kids alongside Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. That must have been fun for the kids, but it also sparked a very generous offer.

Google Giving has awarded the Foundation a grant that will pay for 15,000 Raspberry Pi Model B computers. Those PCs will then be distributed to selected schoolkids across the UK.

Deciding which kids get one of these Raspberry Pis won’t just be down to the Foundation. They have called upon organizations including CoderDojo, Code Club, Computing at Schools, Generating Genius, Teach First, and OCR to help select children who really will benefit from receiving a Pi. Maybe they’ve already shown a strong interest in programming at school, or have clear technical ability that needs nurturing. It may even be a teacher gets a few for a classroom of kids eager to write some Python.

Backing from Google is a great sign, but so is getting these extra 15,000 Pis into schools. When one kid has a Pi, others will want to know what it is and will probably start demanding one too. And at $35 each, chances are most will get one either through the school or parents.

OCR, a provider of qualification awards in the UK, has decided to support any schools receiving one of these Raspberry Pis with free teaching and learning packs. That should help teachers support using the tiny PC in the classroom, and hopefully encourage a few schools to buy a some more.